Drowning Lessons
by xx-Twisted Fantasy-xx
Summary: A companion piece to "Our Lady Of Sorrows." Madge's side of the story. Part Deux of my Demolition Lovers arc.


**Disclaimer: Unfortunately for Madge and Gale, the rights to THG belong to someone else, the lyrics are MCR's.**

* * *

><p>She stands, fear poisoning her veins, as the Hovercraft rains fire down on her flesh.<p>

She wants to scream, but blood gushes out of her mouth before any sound can escape. She is rooted to her spot as the pain hits her again and again and again. Raw blackness overwhelms her vision, little lines of darkness that eat away at her sanity. She knows a few things though—as if it's any fucking consolation—and one of those things tells her that it will all be over soon.

She is oblivious to the fact that she has thought of a swear word, something she is completely against—she told him so.

And there it is. . . a small spark of hope.

He might come—he just might, since he knows her door is always open.

Or does he?

_**Without a sound I took her down**_

She remembers looking out the window—hoping to find something outside that is worth looking at.

And she doesn't realize it just yet, (no, it doesn't even cross her mind) that she finds just what she is searching for.

He comes into view, carrying something expected. A small basket of red berries, the exact shade of freshly shed blood. She's come to associate the sweet taste of that fruit with him, not that she'd _ever_ tell him that. He is already egotistical enough, what with his _I know how to set fancy traps, I'm better than you, even though you're the mayor's bitchy daughter _mentality, no need to worsen it any further.

No need to embarrass herself that way.

If he thinks of her as a princess, who was she to correct him?

She grabs the money her father left on the table and is fully prepared to give him it—but he peers over he shoulder when a scream disturbs the silence of her living room.

The Hunger Games.

Where Katniss&Peeta are fighting for their lives.

He asks her about the dead.

She tells him that it's only the beginning.

A look of disgust disrupts his facial expression.

And then she does something very unexpected—she invites him inside.

_**And dressed in red and blue I squeezed**_

After a few minutes hours days of sitting in total silence, he breaks it as if it meant nothing at all.

He speaks.

She (kind of) forgot how. . . _opinionated_ he is. And his words cause a flash of anger to burn inside of her. How dare he! Peeta's life is worth something too, he has just as much of a right to live as Katniss (The Girl On Fire) does.

She contradicts him.

She knew he would bite her head off for it, and she is glad—arguing with him is what she does best.

The noise they create calls her father into the room. He is a balding man with a perpetual frown, but he is smiling as he compares them to a married couple.

_**Imaginary wedding gown  
>That you can't wear in front of me<strong>_

He references her father's "marriage" claim once—and only once.

On the day before the last one, when there are only four left, she bakes them a strawberry pie for them to eat.

He tells her "thank you, honey." and takes three wholes slices, as if the h-word isn't as endearing as he meant for it to be.

She smirks when he stops shoveling the desert into his mouth abruptly.

The sly girl just died from berry poisoning.

She doesn't comfort him like a Real Wife would, but she doesn't cut into him with her words either.

_**A kiss goodbye  
>Your twisted shell<br>As rice grains and roses fall at your feet**_

She knows this will all be over in a matter of minutes. Cato has just climbed up the golden Cornucopia, Katniss&Peeta in tow. A battle (of sorts) ensues, Cato grabs Peeta, there is blood and gore and screams. Raw. Black. Agony. Cato's insides are torn apart for all to see. She has to resist the urge to vomit several times, her stomach remains twisted—she is a total mess.

She feels his eyes on her, piercing gray orbs that feel like lasers on the side of her face.

He leans closer to her. . . ever so slowly. . . and puts his lips on her forehead.

Of course, this really only lasts a second, maybe even half of that, but it's enough. She relaxes considerably.

It feels nice (his lips on her bare skin).

She spares him a single glance, and he looks horribly broken, like the only thing holding him together is her hand, fingers laced in his. She knows this isn't true, though. Katniss' life (and Peeta's) hang in the balance. She cannot be his glue—not forever, and it hurts like a knife in her heart. She knows now. . . knows it with a sick certainty,

It really is all over.

_**Lets say goodbye  
>The hundreth time<br>And then tomorrow we'll do it again  
>Tomorrow we'll do it again<strong>_

Katniss&Peeta are coming home.

She should feel happy—and she does, her best friend is alive, you know—but not seeing him will be a bigger loss than she cares to let on.

He doesn't understand. . . or even grasp the concept that she sees his abandonment before he leaves her.

She does _not _act surprised when he shows up on her doorstep with one last basket of strawberries.

She does _not_ shed one single tear.

Instead, she places her Princess Mask on, she is now Mayor Undersee's Daughter again.

She is District 12 Royalty.

That moron can't even give her honesty, she guesses because he knows that she knows.

This masquerade she puts on turns to ice, and she decides to drive the final knife home—right in his back.

She says happy birthday in a sickly sweet tone.

He moves farther and father a w a y. . .

**_I dragged her down_  
><em>I put her out<em>  
><em>And back there I left her where no one could see<em>**

She has nightmares of a wedding.

The audience is made solely of the dead tributes that she watched perish. They jeer as he leaves her at the altar—for The Girl On Fire.

_**And lifeless cold  
>Into this well<br>I stared as this moment was held for me**_

It lasts for an eternity.

**_A kiss goodbye_  
><em>Your twisted shell<em>  
><em>As rice grains and roses fall at your feet<em>  
><em>Lets say goodbye<em>  
><em>The hundreth time<em>  
><em>And then tomorrow we'll do it again<em>**

But she knows just as well as anybody, goodbyes never last, because somebody is always waiting for a farewell.

It makes convoluted sense. (kind of).

At least it does now.

The President reads the Quarter Quell announcement from a card, and broadcasts it throughout the entire country of Panem. It's a punishment, a death sentence for those who previously evaded it. The victors are going back into the arena again—the penalty for the two Star-Crossed Lovers Of District 12.

A warning for everyone.

_**I ne**__v__**er thought it'd be this way**_**  
><strong>_**Just me and you we're here alone**_**  
><strong>_**And if you stay,**_**  
><strong>_**All I'm asking for is**_**  
><strong>_**A thousand bodies piled up**_**  
><strong>_**I never thought would be enough**_**  
><strong>_**To show you just what I've been thinking**_

He comes back the night she is viewing the interviews, watching as a few brave souls dare to challenge the unchallengeable. They both know Snow won't be happy—but they like it. They want Panem to be a good place, too. One where children can live without the stench of death breathing down their backs. They want safety. They want a _Rebellion_.

And she never thought it to be possible. . .

Agreement.

For once, they are Madge&Gale.

_**And I'll keep on making more**_**  
><strong>_**Just to prove that I adore**_**  
><strong>_**Every inch of sanity.**_**  
><strong>_**All I'm asking for is..**_**  
><strong>_**All I'm asking for is.**__._

She doesn't want to be treated as disposable.

He gets that.

**_These hands stained red_  
><em>From the times that I've killed you and then<em>  
><em>We can wash down this engagement ring<em>  
><em>With poison and kerosene<em>  
><em>We'll laugh as we die<em>  
><em>And we'll celebrate the end of things with cheap champagne<em>**

The victors—the Powerful Ones—die one by one.

The Capitol still reigns supreme and she cries silently for those who were lost trying to make it crumble and fall.

She does this at home. Alone. And she is horror struck when she sees Katniss and that arrow. . .

This is The End.

**_Without.._  
><em>Without a sound<em>**

A broken&silent plea for help.__

_**Without..  
>Without a sound<strong>_

For Gale. . . because she needs someone to hold her hand. . . just one last time.

_**And I wish you away  
>Without a sound<br>And I wish you away**_

Everything goes bla—


End file.
